Mr. John Vivenzio manages GHYHA Services’ vast and comprehensive contract portfolio. He also directs a team of subject matter experts and leads GNYHA Services’ regional contracting strategies, which result in even more significant financial benefits for member participants. Prior to joining GNYHA Services in 2002, Mr. Vivenzio was the Vice President of Regional Network Operations at Joint Purchasing Corporation in New York City where his responsibilities included the operation of cooperative joint ventures with regional health systems in New Jersey and Indiana. Prior to that, Mr. Vivenzio served for a decade as the Associate Vice President for Support Services at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where his areas of purview extended to state-wide operations on five campuses. Mr. Vivenzio earned his B.A. from Richmond College, Staten Island, NY, and his Masters of Professional Studies from New School University, New York City.
Mr. Bob Karcher joined GNYHA Services in December 2006 as Assistant Vice President, Contract Operations and will be applying his 30 years of experience in hospital supply chain management to developing new and enhanced contract relationships for the GNYHA Services portfolio. Prior to signing on, Mr. Karcher was the supply chain executive at The Mount Sinai Hospital, where his 24-year career included not only supply chain management, but administration of many support departments, including sterile processing, housekeeping, patient transport, food services, clinical engineering and pharmacy. He served as the supply chain executive during the fiveyear merger of the Mount Sinai and NYU systems, where he integrated contract portfolios, logistics and information systems across the five-hospital IDN. Mr. Karcher’s first post-graduate career was as an adjunct lecturer of English at CCNY. In 1976, Mr. Karcher, left teaching to begin a thirty-year career in hospital supply chain operations at Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn where he first encountered GNYHA as a representative to the Purchasing Committee.
Mr. Tony Bertuch joined GNYHA Services in the summer of 2004. Mr. Bertuch is responsible for the day to day operations of GNYHA Services’ Regional Contracting Program. Prior to joining GNYHA Services, Mr. Bertuch was Assistant Vice President, Regional Network Operations at Joint Purchasing Corporation (JPC) where he managed a program of customized contracting services for a select group of clients. Prior to that Mr. Bertuch was Purchasing Director at Our Lady of Mercy Healthcare System. Mr. Bertuch is a Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) and holds an undergraduate degree from SUNY Alfred.
Mr. Mark Victors joined GNYHA Services as a Director of Support Services in Contract Operations in 2007. Prior to joining GNYHA Services, Mr. Victors was a Senior Contract Manager for Jacobs Engineering, and a Manager for Skanska Building USA, both companies operate as “at risk” Construction Managers, specializing in claims avoidance, claims mitigation, and supply chain management. His 30 years of experience encompasses international program and construction management of up to $9 Billion U.S. dollars. He is responsible for increasing operational effectiveness, penetration, and bottom line profitability through the implementation of strategies and tactics. Mr. Victors is extensively traveled, having obtained pragmatic experience as an Engineering Officer aboard blue water oil tankers and containerships, managing a team approach with a systems perspective. Mr. Victors is a Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.), earned his B.E. from the State University of New York Maritime College and an M.B.A. from the University of Bridgeport.
Mr. Jay Edmond has worked with GNYHA Services since 2005. Mr. Edmond is responsible for GNYHA Services' Food and Nutrition program, which includes Client Services and Regional Contracting. Prior to joining GNYHA Services, Mr. Edmond worked for U.S. Foodservice for six years as the Director of Healthcare, managing all the healthcare accounts in the northeast region. Prior to that, Mr. Edmond worked for Aramark Corporation for 10 years in several capacities including that of a general services director, managing multiple departments including Food and Nutrition, Environmental Services, Linen and Laundry, and Transport.
Mr. Praful Shah has worked with GNYHA Services since 2004. Mr. Shah is responsible for all of the clinical diagnostic contracting and service offerings for the laboratory and radiology programs and for representing GNYHA Services member’s interest on national basis with Premier’s Laboratory Committee. Prior to joining GNYHA Services, Mr. Shah held dual positions of Vice President of Ancillary Services and Vice President of E-Commerce for Joint Purchasing Corporation, a regional group purchasing organization, where he developed, established, and branded these service offerings to acute and alternate care members. Prior to that, Mr. Shah was the Director of Ancillary Services at Mount Kisco Medical Group, P.C., a large multi specialty-multi site physician group practice where he operated an extremely profitable laboratory and radiology service. Mr. Shah earned his B.S. from Gujarat University and his D.M.T. from KM School of Post Graduate in India.
Ms. Linda Smith, M.T. (A.S.C.P.) D.L.M., M.H.A., has been a clinical laboratory technologist since 1972. As a core lab manager and administrative laboratory director, she focused her lab teams on aligning clinical and operational lab performance for best results. A guiding principle for Ms. Smith is that quality and cost effectiveness can work hand-in-hand. She worked as a lab manager in Arkansas and as a lab director for HCA in the Houston division. In Houston, Ms. Smith was responsible for initiating and facilitating a number of lab projects that led to significant clinical process improvement and lab supply cost savings throughout the 15 lab division (8.4 million annual billable tests). Two of Ms. Smith’s projects were adopted by HCA corporate and are still used in HCA’s 171 labs. After HCA, Ms. Smith joined Premier, Inc. as Director of Laboratory Services in 2004. She was responsible for lab contract development and accountable for Premier’s lab advisory committee. Premier’s lab service line generates -– $1.5 billion in annual revenue. Most recently, Ms. Smith worked for Reid Hospital in Indiana where she was recruited to lead a major LIS conversion and to launch a hospital laboratory outreach program that could compete effectively against the major commercial labs.